by James Otis
CHAPTER XIX.
A CHANGE OF BASE.
Although the boys did not know the full extent of the danger, they couldunderstand something of the anxiety felt by both Cummings and Poyor whenthe shelter of the cave had been left behind.
The latter moved with the utmost caution, taking half a dozen steps andthen stopping to listen; halting whenever the foliage rustled more thanhe fancied was usual and otherwise acting as if believing the enemy hadcompletely surrounded them.
Under such circumstances the advance was necessarily slow, and at leastan hour was consumed in traveling less than a mile.
Teddy was on the point of protesting against such excessive precautionwhen the sound of voices caused all the party to crouch low among thebushes, hiding themselves in the foliage just as four Chan Santa CruzIndians came to a halt not more than twenty feet away.
It was not difficult to distinguish the form of each one even amid thegloom, and from their manoeuvers Teddy and Neal were confident thatthey had halted for the remainder of the night.
It would have been impossible to hold any conversation, however guarded,without the certainty of being heard while these men were so near, andthe fugitives remained motionless, hardly daring to breathe, until itseemed as if some change of position must be made regardless of theconsequences.
Each one with the possible exception of Poyor, was so cramped as to bein great pain: but all knew that the slightest unusual noise among thefoliage would have attracted attention.
Of course Cummings' party was more than a match for the Indians; but inaddition to his disinclination to begin a fight, was the chance thatthere might be others in the immediate vicinity who would join in thebattle, thus reducing the odds which appeared to be in favor of thewhite men.
It was in the highest degree important, also, that they remain hidden,for once the Indians got a glimpse of the party it would be a simplematter to track them to the next hiding place.
There was another and a very weighty reason why both Cummings and Poyorwished to avoid an encounter in the forest, even though their weaponswere much superior to those carried by the Chan Santa Cruz so far asrapid work was concerned. Unless struck in some vital part, the chancesare in favor of recovery from a bullet wound; but let the skin bepunctured ever so slightly by arrows poisoned with the venom of thesnake known as the nahuyaca and death is certain to follow.
With all this in mind it is little wonder that the fugitives sufferedconsiderable pain before making any attempt to change positions, andthat they would be forced to remain exactly where the halt had beenmade, until morning, seemed positive.
Poyor was well content to stay there as long as the men carried on aconversation, for he was thus enabled to get some valuable informationconcerning their proposed movements, and not a word escaped him.
Three hours elapsed before the pursuers gave any sign of leaving theplace, and then a peculiar sound as of a night bird calling to its mate,caused them to start to their feet.
It was evidently a signal from another party of pursuers, for these menanswered it by a similar cry, and it was repeated several times by thosein the distance.
A moment later the Indians had started, and as they disappeared Nealwhispered to Teddy:
"I never realized before how much comfort there is in the ability tomove whenever a fellow feels so disposed."
"If I'd been obliged to keep still ten minutes longer I believe my legswould have dropped off," Teddy replied with a sigh of relief.
There was no time to say anything more; Poyor had begun the advance, andthe little party moved slowly and silently through the gloomy forestuntil the Indian halted in front of an opening slightly larger than theone leading to the cave they had just left.
Jake did not wait to be told that the journey had come to an end; but atonce crawled through, followed by Cummings with the materials for makinga torch, and in a few moments the boys were also inside.
Poyor did not accompany them; he wanted to assure himself that they hadnot been discovered, and proposed to stand guard among the trees untilthis had been accomplished.
The cavern was not more than half as large as the one first visited; butwas formed of the same peculiar stone. Here also was a stream across onecorner, the bottom of which sloped gently up to the shore of fine whitesand, and, so far as could be ascertained, it did not afford a home fordisagreeable monsters in the shape of alligators.
There was plenty of evidence near the entrance to show that in additionto searching the cave the Indians had made a long halt. Fragments oftotopostes were scattered around, and a small pile of fine shavings toldwhere one of them had repaired an arrow.
The only objection which could be found in this new refuge was that ithad not been taken possession of by tohs. Cummings searched everywherein vain for the "chickens," and the troubled look on his face spokeplainly of his disappointment in failing to find a supply of food closeat hand.
"If we should be discovered and besieged it will be a case of shortrations," he said as the little party returned to the opening to waitfor Poyor.
"Don't you suppose there are fish in the stream?" Teddy asked.
"I never heard that there were; but even if it was stocked with them weshould be none the better off since there are neither hooks nor lineshere."
"Neal and I have got plenty of both, so what's to hinder our findingout? A fresh fish wouldn't taste badly."
"Very well. I'll stay here on guard, and----"
He was interrupted by the arrival of Poyor, who had crept through theshort passage without making sufficient sound to be heard by those whowere supposed to be watching, and, speaking in English, he said toCummings:
"I do not think there is any one near here, and now I wish to go furtheron to learn where the next line of sentinels is posted. We may be ableto change our quarters again, and if every move takes us nearer thecoast we shall be gaining just so much every time. You must keep abetter watch, however, for if I can surprise you, so can others."
"I will take it upon myself to see that no one else is able to do thesame thing," Cummings replied with a laugh. "When you are outside in thevicinity I always feel secure; for the best Chan Santa Cruz that everlived couldn't pass without your knowledge. Did you hear anything ofimportance while we were hiding so near that party?"
"From what they said it is positive fully a hundred men have been sentfrom the city to search for us, and with the sentinels there must bedouble that number between here and the coast."
"It would seem as if with so many they ought to run us to the groundfinally," Cummings said musingly. "Where were those fellows going?"
"They had been following the wet track examining the caves, and begannear the range of hills which forms the east boundary of their country.One of the party believed we had doubled back in order to cross theswamp, and if we can remain hidden it may not be long before all thesearchers will be sent in that direction."
"Did they make any talk about what would be done with us in case theyrun us down?" Jake asked.
"All are to be taken to the city alive, if possible, and it is not hardto say what would be our fate there."
"What do they do with their captives?" Jake continued, as if this notvery cheerful subject fascinated him.
"A white man would be sacrificed in the temple before the gods, and thedeath stroke would not be delivered until much torture had beeninflicted."
"Don't talk of such horrible things," Teddy interrupted nervously. "Itcan do us no good to learn all the terrible particulars. I want to keepmy mind on the one idea of escape."
"That is where you are right," Cummings replied approvingly. "We shallbe worth any number of dead men for some time to come, and won't discusseven the possibility of capture. When are you going to start, Poyor?"
"When I have bound more guaco leaves on this man's wound," was theanswer, and now the boys noticed that he had brought a fresh supply ofthe wonderful shrub.
After preparing it as before the bandage was removed, and by
the lightof a splinter of fat wood which Cummings fired with a match, it could beseen that the edges of the gash had already united.
"To-morrow there will be no reason for keeping it tied up."
"That is to say, the wound will be healed, and you'll have a souvenir ofthe Silver City which can never be lost," Cummings added.
"I won't complain, for I came out of the scrape much better than Ideserved," the engineer replied with a laugh.
Poyor was now ready to go on the scout, and he delayed only long enoughto say:
"There must be no talking while I am away, for one who speaks cannotlisten, and if the enemy should come here again his approach will belike that of a serpent."
"You shan't have any cause to complain," Cummings replied, and aninstant later the Indian had left the cave.
Teddy now thought the time had come when he should settle the questionof whether there were any fish in the stream, and after gainingCummings' permission to make the attempt he and Neal brought out thelines and flies which had been saved from the wreck of the Sea Dream.
"We shall need bait," he whispered. "If there were a million fish therethey couldn't see a fly in the dark, and, besides, if this river runsunderground entirely not one of them knows anything about insects."
"A piece of roasted toh will be the very best we could have," and Nealsoon brought out some of the toughest portions of the remnants left fromthe last meal.
Cummings would not listen to their proposition that a fire be lighted,therefore it was necessary to work in the dark, and they experiencedconsiderable difficulty in beginning the task.
Then, while Jake sat near by deeply interested in the experiment, theboys moved their lines to and fro, forced to wade quite a distance intothe water, and ten minutes passed before there was any sign that theirefforts would be rewarded by success.
"I've got a bite," Teddy whispered excitedly. "By the way he pulled itmust have been a big fel---- Hello, he's taken hook and all!"
"Tie on another quick while I try to catch him," and Neal venturedfurther into the water, throwing the line as far as possible toward theother side.
The thought came into Jake's mind that, while no alligators had beenseen when they first entered it was by no means certain one or morewould not follow down the course of the stream, and he was on the pointof warning Neal not to venture too far from the edge of the shore, whenthere was a mighty splash, a cry of fear and pain from the fisherman,and the engineer shouted regardless of the fact that the enemy might beclose at hand:
"Help! An alligator has got Neal!"
